UNDP Colombia: Digital Tools Saving Lives and Building Resilience 

In Colombia, a country prone to floods, wildfires, landslides, and other disaster events,¹ UNDP has been at the forefront of using digital technologies to reduce disaster risks and help communities recover faster. 

Drones are becoming a game-changer in fighting forest fires. These tools help local communities stay ahead of flames by providing real-time data on fire-prone areas. Flying over hard-to-reach spots, drones capture images that identify where fires might start or spread, enabling communities to respond rapidly and mitigate risks before they escalate. Communities can monitor their surroundings and share critical information with emergency responders, protecting both the environment and human wellbeing. 

The National Network of Community Forest Brigades for Fire Prevention demonstrates this impact: through the Alercom application and chatbot, they have generated over 35,000 monitoring reports across 80 municipalities, enabling people to report and track fires in real time while strengthening self-reliance in wildfire prevention and response. Emergency protocols with local firefighters train community members to fly drones and provide critical data before and during emergencies, enhancing their ability to react quickly and coordinate with authorities to prevent disasters. 

As digital technologies become more integrated into emergency response, protecting the data they generate is just as important as collecting it. In disaster situations - when people are vulnerable and every second counts - cybersecurity is not optional; it is essential. Without it, systems can fail, sensitive information can be exposed, and response efforts can be disrupted. That’s why cybersecurity was made a core element from the beginning, embedding safeguards to reduce risk and build trust among users. To support the secure use of this real-time data, the project integrated cybersecurity measures from the start. Data collected by drones is encrypted and securely stored, ensuring that only authorized users—like emergency responders and local authorities—can access it when needed most. 

Communities are also strengthening their digital literacy by learning to identify hazards through digital risk mapping using OpenStreetMap,  generating their own localized risk cartography that helps them understand their exposure and prioritize areas for prevention and preparedness efforts. 

_{“By combining cutting-edge technology with local knowledge, communities are taking a huge step forward in disaster risk reduction.”} 

Mixed Reality (a blend of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality), which enables interaction between real and digital objects, is being leveraged in Colombia through drones equipped with 360-degree cameras. After Hurricane Iota hit the San Andrés Archipelago in 2020, these drones captured and analyzed detailed imagery of destruction in Providencia and Santa Catalina. This allowed experts, partners, and government authorities to assess the magnitude of the disaster in an immersive way without being on the ground, guiding UNDP’s Household and Building Damage Assessment (HBDA) to identify critical areas for recovery and reconstruction planning. 

The HBDA assessed over 1,200 buildings—including homes, mixed-use buildings, and public service offices. This detailed information identified which buildings needed quick repairs versus complete rebuilding. By consolidating data and tracking progress in real time, resources were directed where they were needed most, accelerating and streamlining the recovery process. 

Through these innovations, Colombia demonstrates how strategic use of digital technologies, the knowledge, systems, and frameworks that the governments, and local authorities to effectively manage and use these technologies, can transform disaster risk reduction and recovery. By merging local knowledge with advanced tools such as drones, real-time reporting, digital mapping, and immersive assessments, communities are better prepared for disasters and can drive their own recovery. This integrated approach strengthens resilience, protects lives and livelihoods, and sets a precedent for how technology can empower nations to confront climate challenges. 

As Colombia continues to adopt and scale digital technologies for disaster risk reduction, cybersecurity remains a foundational element. Protecting systems and data from the outset has been essential to ensuring reliable emergency response, safeguarding communities’ privacy, and building lasting trust in these tools. Just as environmental risks continue to evolve, so do digital threats, making it critical for cybersecurity measures to be designed to adapt over time.